Facebook in a time of (inter)national distress: Soldier killed in Ottawa

 

This is a screen capture from the Facebook page set up for Nathan Cirillo after his death.

 

Closeness and personal contact: Much has been written about social media and the false intimacy these channels provide by creating a sense of community that may be more superficial than truly social. And I’ve agreed with many of these observations.

 

But today I observed a social platform rallying people expressing condolences for a life lost, and generating solidarity and pride. I’m talking about the Facebook page created for Canadian soldier Corporal Nathan Cirillo, who was killed by a gunman while standing guard at the Cenotaph in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada’s war memorial.

 

I first learned about the Facebook page on the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) website, around midafternoon. I recall there were a couple of hundred “likes” when I checked it. At 5:29 p.m., the number of likes had grown to 6,426. As of this moment – 12:59 p.m. – the number has grown to 87,1253. Viral.

 

Posts on the new Facebook page have come from people who knew Cpl. Cirillo, from those who appreciate the work that soldiers do for the country, and from those who simply feel sad. As I’ve watched the page evolve, new photos have been posted and personal stories about Cpl. Cirillo have been told. And a community is drawing together.

 

Why is this different? Because we are not individuals who already know each other or share interests and are communicating through Facebook: We are people who do not know each other but are being brought together through a social medium to express our feelings about a devastating event. Cpl. Cirillo’ s death is a symbolic flashpoint that epitomizes our sorrow, determination, and pride. The Facebook page has brought him to life – to tens of thousands of people, after his death – and has allowed us to view and express our feelings and determination about something much broader than our personal Facebook connections.

A Legal Eye on Social Media: Three Insights from One of the Industry’s Top Bloggers

©dawnsmms13

Last week my class in social media marketing at UD hosted a guest lecturer, Molly DiBianca, Esq., a legal expert who has made a name for herself in this relatively new field. Ms. DiBianca crushed several dearly-held beliefs (guess what? On the internet, there are no legal privacy rights! You have no right to free speech! And if you’re a blogger providing an endorsement, you have a legal obligation to disclose receipt of free goods or services). Of course there are never any true generalizations in law, and for more information you can check out her blog:

http://www.delawareemploymentlawblog.com/

or that of Eric Goldman, which she recommends:

http://blog.ericgoldman.org/

What I’m going to focus on, though, are three things that are important to the self-employed social media consultant contracting services to another organization.*

Here comes the law(suit). Are you an employee, or a consultant?
Let’s say you make a big mistake. If you present yourself to others as an employee of the organization, and it’s reasonable for the public to believe you’re an employee, then in effect you are – and the company that hired you will end up paying the bills. However, if you are clearly a contractor and make the same big mistake, you are liable. Takeaway: Sign a contract with your employer, including a clause indemnifying yourself against such legal action. And take out insurance.

“I’ll just grab this photo and post it to Facebook . . .”
Sure, you can. But most of the photos and other images available on the Internet are owned by somebody, and if that somebody is actively monitoring online violation of their copyright, you could end up being sued. Who pays? See the paragraph above. Save yourself the potential pain, and buy your images from one of the many stock photo providers, or snap the photo yourself.

You’re managing a client’s social media account, and a customer complains.
This scenario makes everyone nervous! What’s the best way to protect your client and make the customer happy?

Ms. DiBianca reminds us that the primary goal is to mitigate the situation, rather than trying to resolve the issue through social media. Express empathy regarding the negative experience, but don’t accept responsibility – remember, at this point you don’t yet know the full story. Then take the conversation offline (by phone, or by asking the poster to friend you), verify the problem, and attempt to resolve it. Should you remove the initial post? If you feel it’s warranted – and if you have a clearly stated policy, on that platform, informing visitors that you retain the right to do so. In the exceptional circumstance that you acquire a troll, it’s okay to ban the offender.

Lots of food for thought. Clearly, beneath this transparent world of social media, there is an invisible legal framework. And it just may be the biggest social media presence of all.

*The contents of this blog post do not constitute legal advice, and the author assumes no responsibility for actions arising from it. If you find yourself in hot water over any of these issues, please speak to a legal professional!

In 2013, the medium is still the message.

When establishing a business, conventional wisdom dictated that the most important factor was “location, location, location.” That’s still the case – but today, the “location” happens to reside in smartphones, tablets and laptops. As a result, we’re seeing a shift in how companies share their traditional marketing and communications messages, with their mobile presence becoming increasingly important.

Advertising gets personal.

Demographic and psychographic targeting have long been recognized as a critical underpinning of any advertising campaign.  Media directors purchase ad space and mailing lists based on TV, radio and print audiences that reflect their desired customer base. Today, sponsored ads on Facebook, gmail, Twitter and other platforms are able to extend a campaign’s reach very cost-effectively through messages targeted to an audience based on their known online habits. It’s relatively simple to adapt advertising creative to social media – and reach the consumer when he or she is ready to make a purchasing decision.

Media relations are more nimble.

While there’s still a need for that old staple, the press release, social media help companies get the word out faster. Like everyone else, journalists use mobile devices (and, increasingly, create content for them). Tweets and Facebook posts are great ways to hit the reporter’s inbox with timely announcements and story updates that help them ensure that news is as fresh as it can be.

It’s more about loyalty than the program.

Typically, loyalty programs have rewarded customers for spending a certain amount of money or making a set number of purchases. Social media are changing that model: Now, the focus is on compensating customers for endorsing a company, product or service. “Like” a company on Facebook, and you may be immediately rewarded with special offers or invitations. In effect, online consumers are becoming brand advocates spreading positive word of mouth  – which is one of the most effective forms of advertising. And it’s a form of loyalty that savvy companies are paying to cultivate.

Their ubiquitous presence has made social media an important part of the marketing mix. Sponsored links and ads on Facebook and Twitter can replace direct mail and augment traditional media placements. Media relations via social media can be a better alternative to email and faxes. Online loyalty programs expand a company’s reach beyond immediate customers by positively influencing potential customers. Should businesses be setting aside budget dollars for social media marketing? Absolutely. And they should be able to come up with the funds by trimming some of the money spent on conventional tactics.

#Smstrategy13

Why I’ll never trust Ellen DeGeneres again, or: How a sponsored link constipated my computer

I like Clinique skincare products, and I like their website. The design is clean, elegant and crisp, with some thoughtful interactive elements, interesting videos, and extensive reviews by consumers. Its raison d’etre is product, but copy and supporting functionalities deliver the message that this is an upscale operation characterized by touches of wit and community caring. They respect me as a consumer, raising their volume just a little to invite me to take advantage of free shipping and sign up for email offers.

I’d recently stocked up on Clinique when I decided to click on a promoted link that appeared on my Facebook page – Ellen DeGeneres with the provocative headline, “Is Ellen Older Than She Claims To Be? Shocking Truth Exposed.” I found myself at what appeared to be the Prevention Magazine/Good Housekeeping website, reading about Ellen’s “backstage skincare secret” as “featured in Yahoo!, Woman’s Day, Vanity Fair, Time, People and AOL”.

I discovered that Cindy Crawford, Kelly Ripa and Jennifer Aniston use the product too! And to the right of the article, a cover from “Good Housekeeping” featured the revered Dr. Oz next to a headline proclaiming “Look ½ Your Age in 4 Weeks!,” with Martha Stewart appearing on a neighboring magazine cover.

The amazing truth unfolded from there, with before-and-after photos of ordinary women raving about the miraculous properties of the product – including Brenda from Wilmington, DE, who just happened to be my age, and who looked remarkably younger in her after shot.

And these folks were offering me a 30-day trial supply of their products free if I signed up the same day! Wow! Too bad I’d just bought that stuff from Clinique.

Out of curiosity, I clicked on one of the menu buttons – “Life”. That took me to a page about the product. Hmmm. Same for the other menu buttons. More hmmm. Even the offer to subscribe to Good Housekeeping for 99 cents per issue landed me on a product page. And when I tried to close the tab, I was notified that by hitting cancel I would be giving up the chance to receive my free trial. But the only button available was “OK”. That didn’t seem right. And I couldn’t close the window! And I couldn’t force quit my browser! Eventually I had to shut down my computer to escape.

Of course, by doing so I gave up the opportunity to look half my age before Thanksgiving. Or maybe not. For some reason, I have a feeling the offer is still open.

When it comes to using Facebook, Social Media Today reports there are nine types of users. Anybody looking at my Facebook page will quickly determine that I am a very infrequent poster – I add updates just often enough to reassure my friends I’m still alive – which, it seems, makes me a “non-user” of […]

Blurred Lines

 

 

“Blurred Lines” by Robin Thicke – which Billboard recently named the song of the summer – is about a “good girl” whom the singer wants to “liberate”. Miley Cyrus blurred some lines herself when she twerked to the song at MTV’s VMA awards, then was dropped from her upcoming cover gig for the December issue of Vogue. Would her risqué performance have generated such repercussions without YouTube and social media? Probably not.

 

 

 

It’s a great example of the power of social media and its innately uncontrollable nature, even in the hands of a young and media-savvy performer. So how does a self-employed freelancer draw the line between personal brand and professional persona? That’s part of what I’m exploring in the U of D’s Social Media Marketing Strategy course.

 

 

 

Because my current professional incarnation is synonymous with my name, I’m reluctant to attach it to the projects I’m launching under the class mandate, even though the online exposure might otherwise be welcome. At issue is the fact that I have not yet defined my professional brand through the necessary exercise of positioning, brand statement, and logo development.  I don’t want to present myself as a professional under my student communications – not for fear that I’ll embarrass myself through personal revelations – but because social media are so pervasive that I might inadvertently launch a half-baked professional image.  And that would be blurring the lines.

 

 

 

I still maintain an old facebook page (two, in fact), and have a LinkedIn page which is adequate but requires further development once I’ve defined my professional brand. I’ve changed my course email from the google account I use for business to a new one established expressly for that purpose. The handles for my twitter account, my “about me” page and my WordPress account are relatively anonymous. So far I’ve figured out that I need my LinkedIn presence and a dedicated gmail account for professional communications, will keep facebook as a means of personal exchange, and will use other channels as student projects.

 

 

 

So what have I learned so far? That you need a strong brand identity before wandering into the professional world of social media – and if you don’t have one, throw up a smokescreen, or your personal brand will become “professional” by default. This means that once I’ve established my corporate name and branding, I’ll have to go back and redo a lot of what I’ve been working on. But I also know I don’t want to get caught in social media’s dangerous world of blurred lines, with poorly defined professional/student/personal identities creating the online equivalent of Miley Cyrus’ twerking performance.

 

 

 

Of course, Miley has since been offered the cover of the October issue of Harper’s Bazaar, perhaps proving the adage that no publicity is bad publicity. Or maybe she just knows which lines to blur.  I’m not convinced, and don’t want to repeat her mistakes – even metaphorically.